Ansari to Skip Trump’s State of the Union

Sonia Almaraz, Partner of "Yari" Marquez to Join as Ansari's Guest at Protest Event

WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) announced that she would NOT attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. Instead, Ansari and her guest, Sonia Almaraz, will participate in MeidasTouch & MoveOn's "People's State of the Union," a rally counterprogramming Trump's speech.

"Last year, I walked out of President Trump's State of the Union because I refused to normalize the most corrupt and authoritarian administration in American history," said Rep. Ansari. "This year, I am honored to be joined by Sonia, who has spent more than a year fighting for her loved one, Yari, who was stripped of her residency and imprisoned at the Eloy Detention Center, and is suffering from leukemia. Together, we will make sure Americans get an honest account of the state of our union."

"Donald Trump tore my family apart. For a full year, Yari has been held in the Eloy Detention Center under horrific conditions. Every day, I fear a call telling me she didn't make it. Her health is rapidly deteriorating," said Sonia Almaraz. "She's lost over 70 pounds, coughs up blood, suffers relentless headaches, and can no longer walk on her own. This is Trump's real state of the union."

RSVP FOR EVENT PRESS CREDENTIALS HERE, and livestream at MeidasTouch YouTube and MoveOn.org/Live

BACKGROUND

• Almaraz is the partner of Arbella "Yari" Marquez, who has leukemia and has suffered severe medical neglect for over a year at the Eloy Detention Center in Central Arizona. Almaraz lives in Arizona's Third District and will be traveling to Washington, D.C. to join Ansari as her guest for the event.

• Last year, Ansari's guest for President Donald Trump's Address to the Joint Session of Congress was Yadira Garcia, a DACA recipient and high school math teacher from Arizona's Third District.

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